An Act to amend the Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991 to impose a moratorium on the prospecting for, or the mining of, coal seam gas in New South Wales has been voted against in the News South Wales Parliament.

The Petroleum (Onshore) Amendment (Coal Seam Gas Moratorium) Bill 2019 was tabled in August last year by Independent NSW MP Justin Field.

While the Bill passed the Legislative Council 20 votes to 17, the Legislative Assembly voted against it with 38 votes to 36.

Labor, The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, the Greens, Animal Justice and all independent MPs voted in favour of the Legislation in both houses.

Mr Field said the aim of the Bill was not ban coal seam gas, but to put in place a moratorium until the protections for water and regional communities were ensured.

“A Parliamentary Inquiry late last year found half of the recommendations of the NSW Chief Scientist’s 2014 Independent Report into the Coal Seam Gas industry had not been implemented despite the Government having publicly accepted all recommendations and recognising they were essential if the risk of the coal seam gas industry could be mitigated.

“To vote against those protections is to put at risk water resources like the Great Artesian Basin and the farming communities who rely on it.”

APPEA Chief Executive, Andrew McConville said the Bill would, if it ever were implemented, condemn NSW to higher gas prices and a slower economic recovery, particularly in regions like Narrabri that are already struggling after years of drought and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This Bill is a hammer blow to the economic wellbeing of regional NSW at a time that the state needs investment and certainty following the devastating impacts of bushfires and COVID-19,” Mr McConville said.